{"id":37573,"date":"2016-08-25T14:43:24","date_gmt":"2016-08-25T19:43:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/?p=37573"},"modified":"2016-08-29T11:41:46","modified_gmt":"2016-08-29T16:41:46","slug":"commentary-what-does-the-future-of-mac-gaming-hold","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/37573-commentary-what-does-the-future-of-mac-gaming-hold\/","title":{"rendered":"Commentary: What Does the Future of Mac Gaming Hold?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"iMac_vs_MacPro\"Apple has been breaking sales and profit records for years, rapidly becoming one of the most powerful companies on Earth. But that doesn\u2019t stop a few analysts from claiming that Apple is \u201cgoing down\u201d. Be it because they sold fewer iPhones this quarter or some other short-term dip. I, however, am convinced doomsayers are wrong and it\u2019s shameful how far some will go to get attention and clicks.<\/p>\n

Apple\u2019s best days are still ahead of it. Unfortunately, I can\u2019t say I feel that confident when it comes to the Mac, and especially, Mac gaming.<\/p>\n

Related:<\/strong> Commentary\u00a0\u2013 Apple Should Renew Focus on Mac Users, Pros<\/a><\/p>\n

On the one hand, the quantity and quality of Mac games continue to improve. Most of the best Windows PC games are available on Mac and indies increasingly support multiplatform games. But at the same time, the Mac itself is changing in ways that make gaming more difficult. The entire Mac line is moving to integrated graphics and Apple\u2019s OpenGL support keeps getting worse each year.<\/p>\n

We are at a crossroads. Can the great new games save Mac gaming or is Apple sentencing it?<\/p>\n

Apple\u2019s lack of interest in gaming<\/strong>
\nThis is nothing new. Apple decided a long time ago that it wanted thin and portable machines with longer battery life. This is great when you need to haul your MacBook<\/a> everywhere you go, but it\u2019s actually bad when you want to play games.<\/p>\n

Why? Because thinner Macs with more autonomy require power sacrifices. And the first victims were graphic cards, the single most important component for gaming. Most Macs today offer only integrated graphics cards. They can certainly \"MacBook\"do wonders to power consumption but are much weaker than dedicated graphics cards. That\u2019s understandable for ultra portable machines such as the new MacBook, but Apple is going much farther than that.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s iMacs have either integrated graphics or mobile versions of dedicated graphics cards. Why use a card designed for laptops in a top of the line iMac when you could use a more powerful (and cheaper) standard graphics card instead?\u00a0Because Apple wants iMacs to be ultra thin too.<\/p>\n

Opting for autonomy is a reasonable decision. I get it, but I fear these decisions are weakening an already struggling gaming platform.<\/p>\n

However, what Apple is doing with OpenGL worries me much more. OpenGL is the engine that handles graphics and is key when it comes to running games. Windows has DirectX and Apple has OpenGL. But instead of doing their best to support it, Apple is always several versions behind.<\/p>\n

This means games could run better but don\u2019t, because they can\u2019t benefit from the latest OpenGL advancements. Sometimes games are dropped altogether because key features are missing on Apple’s OpenGL implementation.<\/p>\n

Yes, Apple promised to bring Metal to the MacOS and revolutionize graphics. So far, almost no games or apps support it. Let\u2019s hope Metal will take off soon before it’s too late. I know this all sounds pessimistic, but luckily developers are picking up the slack.<\/p>\n

\"TombRaider\"<\/p>\n

Still, great new games keep coming<\/strong>
\nMac gaming has never been better and that\u2019s thanks to the growing library of great games it supports.<\/p>\n

A few years ago, the better-known Mac games you could find were Spore and Age of Empires. The vast majority of games were exclusive to Windows-PC and consoles.<\/p>\n

Today, most of the best games are also available on Mac. For instance, seven out of the 10 most played games on Steam<\/a> are available on Mac.<\/p>\n

You can always find big exceptions, such as Grand Theft Auto 5 or Fallout 4, but the quantity of top rated Mac games is impressive. There\u2019s XCOM 2, Firewatch, Shadow of Mordor, Cities: Skylines, Stardew Valley and more.<\/p>\n

Some could argue that the Mac\u2019s real problem wasn’t the games but the poor release dates. In some cases, Mac versions would come years after the Windows version (like the original Company of Heroes). It can still happen, but now games can get a Mac version just a few months later, and sometimes, on the same day as Windows-PC. This was unimaginable in the early 2000s.<\/p>\n

The trend is positive and each year more good Mac games get released. This list with the best Mac games for 2016<\/a> is the perfect example.<\/p>\n

Plus, when looking at the games planned for the future, things will continue to improve.<\/p>\n

So what does the future hold?<\/strong>
\nIt\u2019s a question no one can answer. That said, I can tell you that I do feel optimistic. Apple is certainly a key player here and the fact it doesn\u2019t care much about Mac gaming is worrying.<\/p>\n

But that has always been the case. Apple has never cared, yet Mac gaming continues to grow each year. Luckily, multiplatform development and the top porting companies are here to stay. There’s no reason Mac gaming shouldn\u2019t continue to grow.<\/p>\n

And if Apple\u2019s Metal API finally picks up\u2026 That would be very exciting to see.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Ric Molina is a Rocket Yard contributor and runs Mac Gamer HQ, a site he created when he realized that great games did exist on the Mac but were just really hard to find. For more Mac gaming news, reviews and videos, check out\u00a0Mac Gamer HQ<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n

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